Private MD News

Schools advocate STD testing as preventative measure

Category: HIV

Putting kids in an environment where they're likely to contract diseases is a normal occurrence. Schools are hotbeds of illness, since so many students are regularly packed into enclosed spaces, and these become breeding grounds for viruses and bacterial infections of all kinds. Of course, as children get older and enter adulthood, other methods of disease transfer become more common, and schools are anxious to protect their pupils and their reputations by nipping these problems in the bud. That's why some have begun offering sexually transmitted disease (STD) testing at their facilities.

Syracuse University wrote on its website that the college is recommending all students test themselves on a regular basis, be it every semester or once a year, just to be certain they still have clean bills of health. Knowing sexual partners is ideal, but for college students, it may not always be a feasible option. STD tests allow young adults to make certain they are disease-free, and if they do contract something, regular blood tests can help catch the fact early and healthcare providers can begin administering treatment far sooner.

The source noted that these tests can be obtained through the university, at regional Planned Parenthood centers or online, depending on what option students are most comfortable with. The bottom line, according to the article, is that these quick and painless tests are vital for maintaining healthy lifestyles and avoiding spreading diseases to other school attendees.

Affecting every age group
Even high schools are getting in line with this mode of thinking. While parents would like to think their children aren't having sex before they reach the age of majority, putting 16 year olds in close quarters can result in outcomes that put their health at risk. RH Reality Check wrote that schools in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, district are encouraging students to get STD tests, even though most of the school's pupils are under 18.

The source stated that teenagers represent about one-fourth of all people with HIV, pushing a new initiative at these schools to offer condoms to any student who wants them. Providing access to STD tests can help isolate those with blood-borne pathogens early on, so that they can make safer decisions about sex and alert potential partners to the situation. As the saying goes at school, knowledge is power, and that couldn't be truer in the fight against STDs.